Welcome to the Mija Handmade blog! I hope you find inspiration and innovation in the things I share. Take a look by scrolling through the posts, or check out some of my most popular blog posts.
Spare Block Packing Cube - a free tutorial on how make a packing cube from extra quilt blocks
Santa’s Got a Brand New Bag - a free tutorial to make your very own Santa Sack for the holidays
How to Sew an Inset Circle - my best tips for sewing the trickiest of curved blocks
Looking for something specific? Use the search bar below to narrow down your choices.

Anatomy of Common Quilt Blocks
Ever wonder what different parts of different quilt blocks are actually named? Let’s dig into the anatomy of some of the most common quilt blocks.

My Top Five FPP Tips
This isn’t your typical “how to foundation paper piece” tutorial. Check out my top five tips to speed sew your way through your next FPP project.

Hand Quilting Needles: Sashiko Vs. Sharps
I’ve made one big change in my quilting practice that’s resulted in pain free stitching!

How to Sew a Quarter Circle Quilt Block
Here’s a step-by-step guide to sewing quarter circle blocks, complete with my number one tip for getting perfect blocks and mini quilt project to get you practicing!

Choosing Fabrics for the Formal Gardens Block
Celebrate the traditional log cabin quilt with the Formal Gardens quilt block! This fresh spin on the dramatic color play will make you fall in love with the traditional block all over again. Now, let’s choose our fabrics!

How To Use Directional Prints in Flying Geese
Directional prints… we all seem to have a love/hate relationship with them! Let’s conquer them once and for all and learn how to use directional prints in our favorite quilt block, flying geese!

Fluttersome Strip Piecing
You asked! Here’s a tutorial to turn the Fluttersome quilt block into a full quilt. Plus, learn how to turn your scraps and leftover bindings into this strip pieced beauty!

Book Review: Quilts in Modern Color
When my friend Amber of Alderwood Studio told me she was writing a book to teach quilters how to to create ombré color palettes, I knew I needed to get my hands on a copy…please a sneak peek of a new quilt pattern.

Fluttersome FPP and Fabric Choices
Yes, value and contrast matter in your quilt fabric choices - but the order of your fabric matters too! Let’s dig into different fabric choices and see how they change the design of the Fluttersome quilt block.

Santa’s Got a Brand New Bag
Make your own keepsake Santa Sack!

How To Identify Two-Way Directional Fabrics
Let’s figure out how to identify two-way directional prints to use in the Grandma Core quilt.

Sparks Fly Ombré FQ Hack
Learn how to make this ombré version of the Sparks Fly pattern!

How to Sew an Inset Circle
Get my favorite tips for sewing the perfect inset circle.

Pump Queen: Patchwork Web Piecing
Start sewing faster and more efficiently with web piecing!

Pump Queen: Equilateral Triangles
Equilateral triangles are a breeze!

Pump Queen: Sorting Scraps
Let's plan our scrappy layout for the Pump Queen quilt block.

Circus Ring SAL - Week 4
Welcome to week 4 of the Circus Ring Quilt SAL! Gather your wits and pins because we’re sewing the center to the arc melons. Click through for some detailed photos and pattern insights.

Circus Ring SAL - Week 3
Welcome to week 3 of the Circus Ring Quilt SAL! Gather your arcs and melons because this week we’re getting curvy! Click through to see some detailed photos of accurate (and aggressive) pinning methods.

Circus Ring SAL - Week 2
Welcome to week two of the Circus Ring Quilt SAL! This week, on our bucket list quilt SAL, we’re piecing the arcs and sewing the corner pieces. Click through to see many more detailed photos and piecing insights. Jump into week two with me!
Spare Block Packing Cube Tutorial
Do you have spare quilt blocks, just laying around, waiting to be turned into something you love? With just a little bit of extra fabric, batting and a zipper, you can turn these orphan blocks into the Spare Block Packing Cube. Click through to get the free tutorial.